To be able to use metals effectively in engineering, it’s important to have an understanding of how they are structured at the atomic level.
The video below is a detailed introduction to metals. It covers their microstructure, and various techniques like grain boundary strengthening, solid solution strengthening, precipitation hardening and work hardening that can be used to improve their mechanical properties.
It also covers phase diagrams, important tools for understanding the microstructure of alloys. The video focuses on the diagram for Iron-Carbon alloys, showing the different phases like ferrite, austenite and cementite that can be found in steels for equilibrium conditions, but the same principles apply to other alloys as well.